Golden Chances
by Krazy Katieness
Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

"DADDY!" The tiny wail bounced down the warm walls illuminated with light crystals. The tiny pitter patter of feet followed, sobs escaping the mouth of a little girl. She repeated her cry as she dashed as fast as she could, slamming her tiny little body into a wooden door and throwing it open.

Before her was a long table, preoccupied with a few guests in a deep discussion. The room fell silent, their eyes darted straight for her and a sliver-haired man immediately rose to his feet. He noticed the distress on the little girl's face and cooed gently.

"Kagome, sweetie, I'm in the middle of a meeting. What's the matter?"

The little girl sniffed violently, her left hand clinging to the arm of a stuffed teddy bar.

"I-I had a nightmare..." She rubbed at her red and puffy eyes, her nightgown soaked with tears. The man glanced at the multitude of guests who sent him understanding smiles. He silently thanked them. He allowed his white feathered wings to stretch and he drew closer to his crying daughter, lifting her up into his arms.

"It's okay, 'Gome, I'm here." He reassured, carrying her out of the room. He floated his way down the corridors with the help of his wings, holding the young girl close. He came to a halt in front of her empty room and opened the door slowly as to not startle the young Kagome. He settled her into the warm comfort of her bed and tucked her in, crouching by her bedside.

"Another nightmare, huh?" The man questioned, earning a timid nod. Kagome hid her head underneath the covers, shuddering in fright.

"The world outside isn't bad, right, Daddy?" She whimpered, bright eyes peeking over the edge of the duvet. The man paused for a second and gave her a smile.

"No, it's not, honey."

"Then why can't I go out?"

"You're just far too young to go out there. One day, I will let you." He patted her head. "I promise. When you're 18 I will let you see the world."

"But Daddy, that's so far away." Kagome said, pouting. The man ran his fingers through her hair and chuckled at her adorable frustration.

"Time will fly by before you know it. Now sweetheart, I've got to be at this meeting. We'll talk about this tomorrow, I promise."

"But what if I have another nightmare?" She trembled visibly, her bottom lip quivering in fear.

"They won't hurt you. Remember, to wake up, just pinch yourself." The man smiled, tickling her sides teasingly. The girl giggled and squealed, swatting his hand away. Her father placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Kagome."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

The man got up to leave.

"Daddy, wait." The man stopped and looked back at Kagome. "What happened to Mummy?"

He paused for a second before turning away fully.

"Goodnight, Kagome." He pretended like the question was never uttered and shut the door. He left the little girl to frown at his lack of response, turning onto her side as she spooned her teddy. She pondered over why her father couldn't tell her the story about her mother, and as her brain power started to slow down, she slipped off into a dream.

 _Twelve years later_

The library stacked with books leading up to the sky was quiet, save for the soft flick of a page being turned. Kagome scanned the information with a content look on her face. She had grown from a chubby-cheeked cherub to a wise young woman, losing her baby fat and a slender face in its place leading onto a delicate body. Long raven black hair now reached her dainty waist, braided neatly over both shoulders, much shorter locks cascading down the sides of her face and furling to her chin, bangs to cover her forehead. Long feminine eyelashes framed big blue eyes filled with wonder, brushing her cheek with each blink. A pair of magnificent wings sprouted from her back, waving in a relaxed manner with every word she processed. Her trance was broken, however, when someone opened the tall oak doors to greet her. Kagome glanced up and a gentle smile made its way onto her red lips at the familiar guest.

"Good afternoon, father," she begun, placing her book aside once she had placed a pretty laminated flower between its worn pages to keep her place. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

"Yes, Kagome." He smiled back. "It is a lovely day." Her father made his way closer and pulled out a chair next to her, taking a seat. Kagome raised an eyebrow in question, turning her body so that her full attention was on him.

"Usually when you look for me, it's to discuss something important. What's on your mind?" She questioned lightly. Her father let out a sigh, remaining silent for a few seconds to gather his words in the best way possible.

"Kagome," he begun, "now that you're of age, I personally believe it is time for you to choose at last."

"Choose what?" She tilted her head in confusion..

"A husband." He stated bluntly. Kagome's breath hitched, that dreaded word echoing in her head. "I have arranged the four best suitors here today and I want you on your best behaviour and dressed appropriately."

"What if I don't want to get married?" Kagome whispered, gripping to the edge of her sleeves as her dread heightened.

"You have to. It's your duty as the princess of the kingdom. One day I won't be around and you'll have to rule with a king at your side. It's our tradition, our honour to follow and make our ancestors proud." Her father pointed out.

"Can't I just rule alone? What if I don't like my suitors?" Kagome said. Her father frowned. Just why was she being so difficult?

"You must have a king. As I said, it is our honourable tradition. And if you don't like your suitors, I'm afraid I will be the one to choose. Get ready," the king rose to his feet, resting a hand to her shoulder, "they will be here in two hours. Best behaviour." And with that, he left the young woman to process the information

Kagome shook her head, denying that her father was actually doing this. There was no way he was going through with this!

 _"Of course he is. Who am I kidding?"_ She thought bitterly, glaring at her book. She groaned and stood up quickly, pushing her chair back with a loudh screech across the floor.

"Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Sorry guys, I'm a little rusty when it comes to writing fics! Hopefully you've enjoyed it so far though. Thank you and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

 _SLAM!_

"He's got to be kidding me."

Releasing a frustrated groan, Kagome pushed away from her bedroom door she had shut roughly and ruffled at her loose hair.

"He's got to be kidding me!" She flung her arms up into the air in exasperation. "These men are horrendous!" Kagome grumbled, recalling the men she just had the unfortunate opportunity to meet.

 _"Kagome, back straight. And smile." Her father reprimanded from his place at his throne, his daughter sitting by his side as she slumped in discomfort. She huffed and straightened her back, smile strained but somehow convincing. Raising his hand, her father waved to the guards at the door to allow the suitors forth. Parents of hopefully-suitable young men proudly marched in, already confident in their children's chances, followed by small armies no doubt belonging to each family. Kagome inwardly cringed as she watched four men take a stance and bow towards her and her father._

 _"My lady Kagome," the first man stepped forward, flicking his hair away from his eyes. Kagome already knew his type just by looking at him. "Pick a devilishly handsome man like me and you'll never have to wake up next to a man with common features." Kagome held back a groan and sent him a tight smile. Oh dear God._

 _The next moved forward, staring at her with a blank expression. He spoke in a monotone voice as if he had rehearsed his speech like a script redone until the end of time. The other two weren't any better, the third with a sinister glint in his black eyes, conveying a greed for control over such an empire, and the fourth barely speaking a word, looking just as uninterested as the second, maybe even more._

 _Kagome painfully endured the parents overselling their sons in exuberant fashions until she thought she was going to lose her mind, excusing herself to dash off for a breath of fresh air._

 _"I'm simply overwhelmed with these wonderful men," she had lied, "I must take some time to cool down if you don't mind."_

Kagome sighed, feeling guilty that she had lied. Not by much, of course. Shaking her head, she paced back and forth, looking for a way to escape from her possibly sealed fate. Thoughts and plans whizzed through her head, none coming across as effective enough to get her Scot-free. Then she paused and turned her head towards her window with a curious expression, biting her bottom lip in thought.

"It is a possibility. A very good possibility indeed..." Kagome mumbled to herself quietly, shifting towards the warm rays of sunshine beaming through.

Would she dare even consider? Dare to ignore her father's orders and see the real world? The world of Atmos for herself?

Touching the frames of her window, Kagome gazed through the glass, deep in thought. The blue sky looked so inviting and the clouds looked so soft... With a longing sigh, the young woman nodded in determination. This was what she wanted. What she's dreamed of since she was young and innocent.

Diving down to reach beneath her bed, she yanked out a small satchel and opened it swiftly, picking up small items of importance and necessities. Money, packs of dried fruit she had hidden away in her room for a sneaky snack, and a precious necklace left to her from her mother. The frosted blue crystal on the end of a black wax cord glinted coldly. Kagome smiled fondly at the pretty gem and hung it around her neck with a sense of pride welling up inside. A knock at her door startled the young tenshi and she shoved her bag away, scrambling to sit on her bed and look natural.

"Enter." She called softly. The door creaked open and a young woman peeked her head through. Kagome's face lit up at the sight. "Sango!" Immediately she jumped to her feet and sprinted towards the brown haired woman with glee, tackling her in a hug. The other woman released a giggle and pulled the younger into a closer embrace.

"'Gome, I'm so sorry those... things are your suitors." Sango apologised softly, patting Kagome's soft hair. Kagome tensed and looked up at her best friend with a frown.

"I can't believe father thinks those men are actually suited to ruling our terra. Our home!" The younger started to rant, waving her arms up in the air as she conveyed her distaste for each man.

 _And that first guy! Utterly conceited and probably would marry his own mirror!_

Sango listened with laughter, agreeing wholeheartedly with Kagome's every word. Kagome looked fondly at the woman, not wanting to leave her behind. But it seemed to be her only choice. For now, she would enjoy her time with Sango and cherish it. They chatted until time glided into the evening, a dinner ceremony commencing to welcome the suitors and their guests properly. Once again, Kagome endured terrible flattery as she ate her meal, trying her best to not throw it back up while the guests kept up their useless chatter with her. The dinner dragged by pitifully until Kagome could escape once more to her chambers, hiding away until she was positive everyone had gone to sleep.

 _"This is it."_

Kagome grabbed her satchel once the clock hit midnight, silently opening her window. She glanced back at her bed before leaving a simple letter on the soft pillow. With one last look at her room, the young woman swung her legs over the edge of her window before allowing herself to plummet down. The wind felt good, rushing through her hair and her feathers. She smiled in bliss before allowing her wings to spread and flap powerfully, shooting her up into the air. The young woman glided past each security system stealthily, avoiding any of the guards and squadrons surely patrolling at this time. Upon reaching the gates to the castle, the young woman immediately took her chance and swooped over. She stopped, looking back at the gates to tell herself that, yes, she had actually done it. Supressing a squeal, Kagome took off to the edge of the terra only to halt, a wave of nerves hitting her.

 _"You can do it. No backing out now!"_ Kagome encouraged herself, shaking off her jitters. She huffed once, twice, thrice before taking a running leap off of the edge of her home, flying up into the clouds and under the full moon. At last she was going to see Atmos for the way it was instead of imagining it behind books.

She felt free.

* * *

YEAH YOU GO 'GOME! FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS! Anywho, I hope y'all are enjoying this cus I know I am! I hope there aren't any typos. I could read over anything a million times and miss at least ONE typo! Please inform me if you find one so I can fix it ;-; THANK YOU!


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

"Lord Daiki, is it wise for you to wake up Kagome this morning?" Sango questioned, following the tall king closely as he strode towards his daughter's room. He waved a hand casually.

"I want to discuss with her the suitors. I must say, I was hoping they were... better than what they are. But as I told her, she has to pick one. Evene if they're all dreadful." Daiki shuddered slightly.

"But you never chose from a pool of future consorts." Sango brought up, making Daiki sigh. "You chose a woman not of royal blood, yet more worthy than any of your choices."

"Yes, I did choose another. But the elders blessed my choice, especially after considering her bloodline..." Daiki shook his head before knocking on the door to Kagome's room. "'Gome, sweetie, it's time to wake up." He called. Upon receiving no answer he tried again but to no avail. Then Sango tried.

"'Gomegome, wakey wakey, it's me!"

No answer.

The two looked at each other before entering the room only to discover everything was untouched. The bed was still made and the window was wide open. Sango made a dash for the window, gasping as the king picked up the letter left on the pillow.

"Did someone take her?" Sango said, looking at Daiki. He trembled as he read the letter, his arm shaking.

"She's gone..." Daiki turned swiftly towards Sango, startling the woman. "Call the guards, the squadron! Get my daughter back! She ran away!"

Soft warmth spreading across Kagome's face made the young woman stir. She opened her eyes, lifting an arm to shade her eyes from the light. Rubbing her eyes, she sleepily sat up from her small makeshift pillow of leaves, yawning and processing everything around her. Upon reaching a terra along her way last night, she landed to rest for the next day, hidden amongst a seclusion of dense trees. Flipping her legs around so she was kneeling, Kagome stretched and cracked her bones, willing herself fully awake prior to reaching into her bag to grip a little pot of dried berries to eat as a light breakfast.

"Okay. A plan." Kagome spoke to herself quietly. "I can't go back to Terra Tenshi so that's out of the question. But I don't know what terra this is, or if anything lives on it." She scratched herself before letting out a groan. "I should have taken a map. Stupid idiot." After a little while of internal debating, the tenshi finally made her decision to find civilisation and rose to her feet, bag slung over her shoulders and her wings tucked away, hidden under her cloak. Kagome made her way to the edge of the treeline to see quaint, cute buildings creating a little town surrounding a tall tower with a beautiful blue glow beaconing from the top.

Upon entering the little town, Kagome immediately was assaulted by many noises of chatter, citizens bustling by and enjoying their day. She stared in awe at how much more sociable the terra seemed compared to hers. Although that might just be because she was forbidden from leaving the castle's perimeter. She was so caught up in watching people go by that she jumped once she felt something touch her shoulder. Jolting, she swivelled round on her heels only to see a smiling elderly man.

"You look a little lost, are you alright?" He questioned kindly. Kagome nodded.

"Ah, yes, I'm alright. I am a little lost though. I must ask, what terra is this?" She asked curiously, fiddling with the edges of her sleeves. The man released a chuckle at her nervous state, making her slowly ease up.

"Don't be so worried, dear. This is Terra Atmosia."

Recognition bloomed on Kagome's face and she let out a noise of realisation. She had read up on Terra Atmosia, home of the sky knight council and the infamous aurora stone. A powerful crystal that, once in the wrong hands, could wipe out entire terras in one clean swipe at its full potential. She nodded her thanks and turned around, making her way through the crowds, intent on exploring. She was examining a stall when a commotion erupted, people yelling out and pointing up to the sky. Kagome dropped the odd trinket she was examining to look up. She spotted strange flying contraptions come in to land, much like the skimmers of her terra's squadron. One after the other, they landed and ran across the town's square, coming to a halt in front of the large tree marking the centre. Impressed, Kagome clapped along with the rest of the citizens. The first one to get off their skimmer was a man with red hair and strong green eyes, a pair of small twin blades resting against his back. The emblem they wore told Kagome they were indeed a squadron. It was then she noticed that one of them hadn't stopped looking at her in curiosity. The leader.

 _"Of course, I probably stick out like a sore thumb."_ Kagome thought, feeling uneasy. She swiftly turned and hid away in the crowd, ignoring the whispers of 'wow, its the Storm Hawks' and 'they're so much cooler in person.' In the back of her mind, Kagome wondered how these people were the Storm Hawks if the Storm Hawks were destroyed years ago. Shaking her head, Kagome pushed the thought away and kept on moving, still feeling his eyes on her back. Once she felt like she was sin the clear, Kagome sighed, pressing her back against one of the buildings in relief. That was short-lived when a voice called out to her.

"Hey."

Kagome tensed up, turning her head to the side, letting her fear slip onto her face. The redhead raised his hands quickly.

"I-it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you! Sky knight's honour." He placed one hand over his heart and kept the other one up in the air. Kagome allowed her body to relax and she pushed off of the wall, wishing her father let her learn self defence. But of course, her father refused because she was a 'proper lady of royalty who would never need to raise a fist in self defence.' The so-called sky knight took cautious steps forward, talking in a calm and empathetic voice. "Are you okay? I've never seen you on Terra Atmosia before. Are you travelling?"

"Yeah, I am." Kagome nodded, watching the man closely. Once he was close enough, he held out his hand in a gesture of greeting.

"I'm Aerrow Strike. Sky knight and leader of the Storm Hawks." He introduced, watching her closely. Kagome accepted his hand.

"Kagome. Traveller. Do you... always greet people by following them and shaking their hands?" She asked with a slight teasing tone, smiling at the sheepish expression on his face.

"No, this is a first. Come on, you don't want to be on your own wandering Atmosia, right?" He tilted his head back. "Come meet my squad. If you're looking to go somewhere specific, my team and I can get you there."

"Ah, well, you see," Kagome scratched the back of her head before saying, "I don't have a specific place I'm looking for. I'm kind of just wandering and hoping I find somewhere. Plus, I'm kind of homeless now." Aerrow hummed, tapping his chin.

"Mind if I discuss it with my team? We can figure out something for you if you'd like."

"That... sounds nice." Kagome nodded with a relaxed smile. "Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

Meeting the Storm Hawk squadron certainly turned out to be an interesting turn of events.

"Well hello pretty lady," the blond male of the group slid up to the princess, waggling his eyebrows. Kagome mumbled a dry 'what' as he winked. She glanced at Aerrow with wide eyes displaying discomfort and the sky knight chuckled before swooping in to save her. He placed a hand to one of her shoulders and shifted her away from the flirting man, causing him to fall to the ground and land on his face. Kagome covered her mouth to prevent herself from bursting out into laughter, however Aerrow and the others didn't hold back. The blond cried out in distain, rubbing his lower back. Upon regaining their breath back, Aerrow introduced the young woman.

"Guys, this is Kagome. She's a traveller." He informed, giving her a little push forward.

"Uh, recently started travelling." Kagome added in shyly.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you," the only other woman began to speak, "I'm Piper. That idiot down there," she pointed to the blond still on the ground, "is Finn."

Once hearing his name, Finn leapt to his feet and sent Kagome a pair of finger guns, muttering a 'chicka cha' in her direction. Piper rolled her eyes. Next up came the very large creature which Kagome knew was called a Wallop.

"I'm Junko! It's nice to meet you!" He said, conveying his eagerness in meeting her. Then Kagome's attention was taken by something blue clinging to her leg. She glanced down only to see, what she thought to be, a sky monkey. It looked up and sent her a grin.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Kagome gushed, giving him a pat on the head.

"That's Radarr. He's normally not that overly friendly with people he doesn't know." Aerrow pointed out. "You must be pretty special for him to like you already." Kagome looked at the whole squadron and hummed.

"So you're the Storm Hawks. I thought they were gone." She pointed out.

"Ah well that's kind of easy. I'm the last descendant of the original Storm Hawks. I'm Lightning Strike's son." Aerrow informed. "I didn't know until years later and it was a shock to me but after the team all got together, I haven't been able to look back."

"Wow, that's amazing. I never knew that. Please tell me everything!" Kagome begged in amazement.

"First off," Aerrow chucked, turning back to his team, "Kagome here is currently homeless and doesn't have any specific destination. So I offered we help her come up with a solution." The rest of the squadron all nodded in agreement, willing to help the young lady.

"You could stay with us as we help you figure something out." Piper offered warmly, the whole group watching in awe as Kagome's face lit up in child-like wonder and happiness, makig her beautiful face seem even more stunning. She bowed repeatedly, saying her thanks over and over.

"First of all we came here to get some supplies before we head off." Aerrow stated, Kagome nodding in understanding.

"Of course, that's perfectly fine with me. Take all the time you need." Kagome insisted.

The group separated, Kagome following Piper since they were both girls and it would do them some good to communicate with each other. Kagome discovered that the woman had actually grown up on Terra Atmosia and that her and the other Storm Hawks were nineteen, just a year older than Kagome. Apparently one other member was waiting for them up in their ship called the Condor so they should hurry lest he get even more antsy and end up thinking the others were dead. Once purchasing enough food and collecting enough crystals, everyone else gathered together once more to distribute the items evenly and head back to the ship, the town now seeming much more empty as the busiest part of the day was over. Mounting their own contraptions, Aerrow turned to face Kagome.

"You can ride with me."

She shook her head.

"I can follow you." Kagome stated, earning strange looks from the others.

"How? You don't have a skimmer or a heliscooter." Finn pointed out. Kagome shook her head again and let her wings finally stretch from underneath the cloak, spreading high up into the sky. The others all gasped and stared in shock, making Kagome tilt her head in confusion. Was there something wrong with her wings? It was then Piper let out a cry.

"Y-you're a Tenshi! An actual living Tenshi!" She gawked, watching Kagome nod as if it were the most normal thing in existence.

"Guys, let's deal with this on the ship where it's safer." Aerrow commanded. "Kagome, get on my skimmer, it'll be safer." Kagome frowned but nodded anyway, pulling her wings in so she wouldn't disrupt his flying and slid onto the front half of the skimmer where Aerrow placed his arms around her to reach the handlebars. "Hold on." And with that, he revved up his skimmer and soon they were all shooting off into the air and towards the Condor. Kagome gripped onto the seat below, unsure of where to put her hands. Aerrow noticed and spoke quietly so not to startle her. "You can put your hands on the handlebars if you want to feel more stable, but I won't let you fall." He reassured, watching the young woman ponder before deciding to put her faith in the sky knight and just let her arms relax.

"Okay. I trust you."

One by one the skimmers retracted their wings and landed into the hangar bay, parking safely. Immediately upon getting off, Kagome felt everyone stare at her. Piper looked into her eyes, silently asking permission for her to unfold her wings. Kagome did as Piper wanted and the older woman took action, running her fingers through the soft white feathers.

"Amazing. Oh, I should have seen that. Goddess-like beauty, bright eyes, friendly aura, it fits the bill!" Kagome fiddled with her fingers.

"Y-you seem shocked." Kagome muttered. "And what do you mean by goddess-like beauty?"

"Well, Terra Tenshi is said to be a myth, and that the Tenshi were no more. And it is said that the Tenshi were a beautiful people. Well, are."

"I haven't heard anything to do with our looks. And your facts on my home, they're definitely not true. We exist, our home exists. I just don't want to go back." Kagome folded her arms, leaning on one leg. Piper pulled away from her wings and Kagome glanced back at them, noticing the pure white colour still remained.

"Your wings haven't changed colour." Piper stated, earning odd looks from the others.

"Um, are they supposed to change?" Junko asked.

"Well if someone touches them, apparently they're supposed to." Piper informed, causing Kagome to hum in disagreement.

"That's actually slightly incorrect." She spoke up. "They change colour if an evil person touches them. And I don't mean your regular evil, I mean deep down inside."

"What colour?"

"Black. And it isn't a pleasant experience for the Tenshi."

Silence fell amongst them all, the news seeming to affect them more than they expected.

Kagome sighed, "I'm sorry for being a bother, I should have told you. I can go if you want me to."

"No!" Aerrow yelled, startling the others. "We made a promise and we're going to keep it. Come on, Junko, Finn, Piper, go tell Stork we're back and Radarr and I will give Kagome one of the extra rooms seeing as he doesn't want to leave her side." Aerrow nudged his head downwards and everyone watched the sky monkey happily cling to Kagome's leg. The others all nodded and took the supplies away, leaving Aerrow and Radarr with Kagome. "Come on, let's go."

The three made their way through the corridors of the Condor, making their way further until they came to a stop. Aerrow opened one of the doors to reveal a spare room.

"This is one of our spare rooms." He told Kagome as she stepped forward to scan about the area. "Just across from this room is my room and to your left is Piper's if you ever need anything."

"Thank you. I don't know what to say." Kagome mumbled honestly, looking back at Aerrow with a gentle quirk of her lips.

"You don't need to say anything. But can I ask why you left your terra?"

"Just what all girls run away from when they aren't ready for it; marriage." Kagome rolled her eyes. "There was a selection to choose from, but these men, absolutely horrendous." She made a sour face. "The first guy was the type to marry himself and swarm the walls with self portraits, I swear."

"That is tough. I would have run away too if I was in your place." Aerrow nodded in understanding.

"I should be fine now, though." Kagome rubbed one of her arms unconsciously. "I'm hopefully not gonna get married for now and maybe someday I'll find someone who I want to marry and who wants to marry me. I can dream." The two stood there in a comfortable silence, Aerrow watching Kagome set her satchel down.

"You ready?" He earned a nod and the two exited the room, the duo making their way to introduce the young woman to the last member. However upon entering the deck, the two were greeted in an unusual scene.

"AH!" Upon spotting Kagome, the green merb zipped around and hid behind the other members of the squadron, causing the others to blink at him in confusion. "IT'S A DEMON!"

"Actually, our name translates into angel, thank you very much." Kagome pointed out, crossed her arms.

"Stork, it's okay, she's a guest." Aerrow informed the paranoid merb, watching Stork peek out with narrowed eyes. "We're letting her stay with us as we help her figure out a plan for travel."

Kagome waved one hand. "Hi."

"Okay, but I'm on to you!" Stork pointed a finger at her, causing Kagome to slowly turn to Aerrow with a raised brow.

"He's paranoid 24/7."

"Ah." Kagome nodded in an understanding fashion. "That's okay, he'll hopefully come round to me before I leave." She scratched the back of her neck. "Sorry for the... sudden show. I forgot you guys weren't like me."

"Hey, it's okay." Aerrow insisted. "It's not your fault. You're recently out of you element, right? It happens. You don't have to hide them away from us though." He glanced at her wings for a second before turning back to the others, patting the younger's shoulder.

* * *

Okay so I have a random question. Would anyone be interested in drabbles of Kagome x Storm Hawks characters? I'll most likely make them after finishing this fic unless enough people show interest lmao, thanks for reading this chapter! I didn't update yesterday due to being at work all day and conking out as soon as I got home.


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

Adjusting to staying with the Storm Hawks was easy to say the least, even though it had just been the one day. The others were very welcoming and Finn had given up at last on hitting on her when he realised he would get nowhere. Stork still didn't trust her, but that was to be expected from a merb. Junko, Piper and Aerrow were still kind to her, Junko offering to cook for her until the others steered her in the opposite way and brought up different topics so not to hurt the wallop's feelings. Everything seemed fine and normal.

Except for one thing.

"Radarr, you can't follow her to the bathroom!" Piper cried, sprinting after the blue fuzzball who almost stepped into the bathroom with the young woman. "That's a private time!" Radarr squirked in discontent before plopping down just outside to wait for Kagome. Aerrow raised an eyebrow at Piper in confusion.

One of the main problems was Radarr's sudden change in attitude, following Kagome about almost everywhere, even going as far to curl up on the edge of her bed. Piper believed it to be something to do with their natural ability to attract animals, even one as stubborn as Radarr. None of them knew how it would go if they had to leave the Condor for a mission. Aerrow couldn't leave without his co-pilot, and Kagome seemed too fragile to even get close to any form of battle. Hopefully everything would work out when the time came.

Kagome left the bathroom and Radarr immediately darted to her side, making the young woman laugh.

"Are you ever gonna go back to what you normally do?" Kagome questioned, crouching next to Radarr who let out chirps as a response, even if she couldn't understand him. "Maybe? Well that isn't a good enough answer." Hold up. Did she just respond to Radarr? "We haven't even properly introduced ourselves!" Kagome held out her hand to the sky monkey, who took her hand, too happy to question the fact that there was finally someone who could understand him. He squeaked his name. Aerrow and Piper gaped at Kagome as she properly introduced herself to Radarr, slowly processing the information.

"How-" Piper stopped, still unable to comprehend the situation. Then Aerrow spoke.

"You can understand Radarr, how?" He questioned, dumbfounded. Kagome glanced up at him, blinking her eyes innocently.

"My family have always been able to hear what animals say. I don't know why, it just... is." Kagome shrugged, turning her attention back to Radarr who started to talk to her. "No way, that long?" Kagome and Radarr kept on chatting, Aerrow and Piper looking at each other. Then, a glint entered Piper's eye and she let out a gasp, turning back to Kagome.

"You're royalty!" She exclaimed.

Aerrow went bug-eyed. "What?" Kagome straightened up, her face contorting uncomfortably.

However, Piper kept on going. "You're part of the royal family of Terra Tenshi! You're the princess, aren't you? I should have known that, the royal family are the only ones with your ability! What is wrong with me?"

"So that's why you were running away from marriage." Realisation fully dawned on Aerrow. Kagome rubbed the back of her neck, nodding hesitantly. She didn't know what to say. Should she apologise? Beg them to not take her back? But they didn't even know where her terra was hidden. Radarr noticed her distress and, when Piper went to speak again, let out a series of angry chirps, close to growling. Piper raised her hands, finally taking notice of Kagome's posture and expression. The older woman's smile faded.

"Oh, Kagome. I'm sorry. I didn't know this was an uncomfortable topic for you." Piper apologised, watching Kagome carefully this time. Kagome sighed and looked at Piper with a kind smile.

"it's okay, it's not your fault." Kagome reassured quietly. "Yes, you're right. I am the princess. But," she quickly lifted one hand, "don't discuss this with anyone. If word gets out, my father will know where to find me."

"Why don't you want him to find you?"

"Aerrow said I was running away from marriage. But it's not just that." Kagome decided to tell the full truth at that moment. "I've never been able to leave my terra. I haven't even been allowed to leave the castle grounds. My father's overprotective but this is crazy." She rubbed her forehead softly, frowning. "I've been on that terra for eighteen years. He's refused to let me see the world, he never told me whatever happened to my mother, he lied years ago when he said he would allow me freedom to roam outside of the castle walls by my eighteenth birthday. Marriage was just my breaking point."

Silence fell over them as the other three soaked in the information. Aerrow decided to take action and moved closer to the younger, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"He would have had a reason for doing that. There are dangers out there, like sky beasts and the Talons of Cyclonia." Aerrow reassured. "He wouldn't have done it if he didn't love you." Kagome nodded, slumping her shoulders. "It wasn't right for him to stop you from seeing everything, though. Then how would you have learnt about anything other than words written in a book?"

"There's nothing I can do to change the past. But I can change my future." Kagome stated firmly.

"But this changes some things. If he never let you leave the terra, that means he never expected you to fight, did he?" Piper concluded, earning a nod. "If you leave us, you won't even know how to protect yourself. Why don't you just stay with us?" Radarr chirped eagerly, shaking at Kagome's skirt.

"Seems like Radarr likes that idea." Aerrow chuckled.

"I won't be a bother, right?" The tenshi asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"Of course not! Stork will get used to you and everyone else is perfectly fine with you!" Aerrow pointed out, watching Kagome's eyes sparkle at what he said next. "As leader of the Storm Hawks, I welcome you to live with us on the Condor." Aerrow barely had any time before he was tackled in a hug from the younger woman.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" She yelled, pulling back from the stunned sky knight to hug Piper and then Radarr. Aerrow stood there in shock before feeling his face heat up, concluding it to not used to being hugged like that by a woman. Yeah, that was it.


	6. Chapter 6

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

"Teach me to fight."

Aerrow lifted his head, looking at Kagome with an eyebrow raised. She stood in front of him, determination on her face as she eyed him fiercely. Then she changed.

"Please." She blushed, growing embarrassed under his stare. Aerrow shifted, leaning forward.

"Why though?" He asked, feeling genuinely curious as to why she wanted to learn. She squirmed slightly, her blush darkening and Aerrow distantly thought that she looked cute. Then he caught his thoughts and pushed down his blush, wondering where that came from. He brought himself away from his thoughts and listened to what Kagome had to say.

"I-I want to be able to protect myself. I don't want to be a burden." Kagome mumbled, rubbing her arm.

"But you're not a burden." Aerrow stood up from his seat. "Do you really want to learn? To fight, that is."

"Yes. Yes please." Kagome nodded. Aerrow shrugged.

"I can't see any harm in teaching you. Shall we start?" He suggested watching Kagome look at him curiously. She fumbled when she realised what he had said, not sure if she was actually ready.

"N-now?"

"Yeah, in one of the empty rooms. Don't worry, it'll just be you and me. Nothing to fear. I'm not a harsh teacher." Aerrow joked lightly, watching Kagome relax and smile, laughing. "C'mon." He tilted his head and walked out of the lounge room, Kagome following closely.

The walk was fairly quiet, the time together feeling rather pleasant. At last Kagome had been able to escape Radarr's constant clinging, the sky monkey finally allowing her time where he wasn't gripping to her leg. Soon, the two made it to an empty room clear of anything they could trip over. Aerrow deemed it perfectly fine and walked into the centre, taking a pose. Kagome soon followed his lead.

"Take a stance, like this. No, see, tense your arms a little and put a bit of bend in your knee. A little bounce, in a way."

"So like this?" Kagome readjusted her stance, earning a nod from the sky knight. Then he directed her to lunge forward with her fists at the ready, helping her twist her body and shift her weight since in the future she would need to dodge and deliver attacks. Aerrow showed her different methods of attack and defence, shifting swiftly but slowly enough for Kagome to understand. Then he helped her move, positioning her hands and legs correctly, helping them go through the motions. When putting the movements properly into action, however, Kagome fumbled quite a bit, but Aerrow was patient, allowing her to work up to it. As they moved, it slowly got quicker and quicker until Kagome felt it ingrain into her muscle memory. Before she knew it, Aerrow was putting up a small fight with her. Kagome flowed with his movements, the fight looking much more like a dance instead. Then came the actual blows. Not meant to hurt, of course, but to act out and prepare. Aerrow knew Kagome didn't look all that strong so held back. But it turned out he was wrong.

"Oof!" Aerrow grunted, falling onto his back as Kagome tackled him with surprising strength.

Green stared into blue, and vice versa. The duo panted heavily, Kagome's knees on either side of Aerrow's hips, hands gripping his wrists and pinning them above his head, their faces centimetres away. Once realising their position, Kagome turned red and let go of his wrists, sitting up so she was seated in his lap, the sky knight straightening his back up too. The two still stared, unable to figure out what to do next. Kagome cleared her throat.

"Are we making any progress, teacher?" She said jokingly. Aerrow bit his lip and swallowed, briefly glancing at her lips.

 _"God, I hope so."_

And he wasn't talking about the fighting.

* * *

Kind of a filler sort of chapter where Kagome and Aerrow bond a little before things get a little more interesting in their bond and the plot! Hehehe~


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

It was dark. Night time, actually. Everyone should have been asleep.

Should have.

But the tapping of quiet footsteps woke Kagome up from her light slumber, the young woman sitting up. She shook her head, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed she was given. Quite easily the person up and walking could have been someone from the squadron, but at the same time it could be someone dangerous since the Storm Hawks have many enemies. Kagome snuck past Radarr's sleeping form as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake him up and escaped from her room. Sighing, Kagome looked to her right and then to her left, noticing a shadowy figure turn around the left corner of the left side of the corridor.

 _"That doesn't look good."_ She thought, trailing after the person on silent feet. She reached the end of the corridor and peeked over, watching the figure move. She chased after them closely until they reached the hangar, the hangar bay open to the night sky and the ground of the nature-based terra they rested on. Kagome expected the figure to take one of the skimmers but felt surprised when they just kept on walking and got off the Condor from the open doors. Kagome made her way closer and caught sight of the Storm Hawks uniform, the moonlight illuminating familiar red hair. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome hopped off the Condor and made a dash towards the sky knight.

"Aerrow!" She called out, the redhead turning quickly only to realise it was Kagome. He stopped to allow the woman to catch up with him. She reached his side. "Hey, why are you up?"

"I just couldn't sleep." He shrugged, earning a frown. Kagome reached up and rested an arm over his shoulders in a one-armed hug, sending him a look of understanding. She looked him in the eye seriously with a soft smile.

"So you were taking a walk to try and clear your mind, right?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Aerrow muttered a quiet 'yeah.' "Do you want to talk about it?" Aerrow nodded, knowing it would probably help.

"Might as well. You spoke to us about your father a while ago, it would do some good for me to confide in you too." Aerrow shrugged, moving and leading Kagome to sit on the edge of the terra with him. His eyes stared over the edge as he swung his legs, trying to find his words. He looked back at Kagome, noticing her gentle gaze before he started to speak again. "I've been thinking about some enemies of ours. It's... frustrating." The sky knight rested his head against his fist, his elbow against his thigh. "There's this one man I keep on clashing with. The Dark Ace. Ever heard of him?" He watched Kagome nod.

"Originally known just as Ace. Former co-pilot of your father's." Kagome supplied, watching Aerrow closely. "Why?"

"He's also the one who betrayed them." Aerrow muttered bitterly. "He killed my father and helped Master Cyclonis's Talons take down the rest of the original storm Hawks. He's... still out there. Neither of us have been able to really defeat each other." He continued on his small rant, talking about how many times he's battled with the Dark Ace and how their sudden quiet spell was worrying him. It must have meant they were planning something big. Aerrow conveyed his fears to Kagome, the young woman taking it all in as he leaned back on his hands, his head tilting back to the sky. "I'm worried that this time, it'll be the end for us. I'm scared that I'm going to lose everyone, and even though I've known you for just over a couple of weeks, I'm scared they're going to use you to their advantage." Kagome tilted her head at his little confession, moving her body so that she was sitting on her heels and knees. She pulled him into another tender hug and ran a hand through his hair gently, comfortingly.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Aerrow. And you have nothing to fear. How long have you been fighting them for? About five years?" Aerrow stayed silent, feeling his face flush when Kagome pulled him even closer into the hug, his head pressing into her neck, skin to skin.

 _"No, not hug."_ He mused. _"Embrace."_

"You guys have held your own up against them for years, how amazing is that? You're all strong enough to stop them and one day, you'll be able to bring them to justice. I just know it. I haven't known you guys for long, but I know you won't let anything happen to me, or each other." Kagome hummed sweetly, a soft tune to ease his thoughts. Aerrow let her hold him, feeling himself start to fully relax against her smaller body. He was definitely feeling better after speaking his mind, and Kagome's words and actions helped his frazzled mind calm down. His eyes started to shut, enjoying the warmth Kagome offered as he started to drift off asleep, overwhelmed with the soft scent that could only be described as Kagome.

Kagome felt his weight get heavy and she glanced down, only just noticing his soft snores against her neck. With a grin, Kagome tried to move only to realise she wasn't strong enough to lift him and take him back into the Condor. Kagome felt herself internally panic, knowing she was too kind to wake him up from his well-needed sleep. Sighing, she gave up and adjusted them to the best of her ability so they leaned up against a tree, facing the edge of the terra where the sun would surely rise. Keeping ahold of the man, Kagome curled up against him to retain body heat and allowed herself to fall asleep with him, head resting on his shoulder.

Before she knew it, Kagome woke up and sleepily noticed that she was moving, her body feeling limp and too tired to shift. She squinted her eyes up and analysed the figure over her, warm arms carrying her safely. Thinking nothing of it, Kagome let herself drift off to sleep once more, never processing the sharp red eyes looking back down at her.


	8. Chapter 8

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

Kagome opened her eyes when she didn't feel Aerrow's warm body next to her, and instead she felt a grimy dirt floor under her cheek.

"Good morning, little Angel." A smooth, deep voice spoke, making Kagome force her upper body up and turn her head around to find out where it came from. Her eyes met with red ones and Kagome found herself staring at a handsome black-haired man, a sinister smirk on his face. Kagome shook her head, drowsily getting to her feet and swaying.

"Where's Aerrow... what did... you do to him?" Kagome slurred. She vaguely registered her odd speech and the black vertical lines caging her in, only to realise she was trapped behind a set of bars.

"Poor girl, the drug still hasn't worn off." The man sent her a mocking pout, watching the woman try to regain her bearings and shake off her sleepy demeanour. "And your little boyfriend is fine, he's still with your stupid Storm Hawks."

"He's not my boyfriend." Kagome collapsed to her knees, groaning and gripping her head. "An'... What drug? What did you do to me?"

"Just a little something to make sure you didn't wake up when I carried you off." The man stated casually, watching in amusement as the young woman's body moved to and fro in a dizzy manner.

"You're... the Dark Ace..." Kagome squinted at the man, earning a chuckle. She grunted and rested her head between her knees. It felt like her head was going to explode.

"Well done, sweetheart."

"D-don... call me that..." Kagome sent him a glare as best as she could, baring her teeth. A dark cackle escaped the evil man. He rested his elbow against his knee and pressed his cheek against it, still grinning away while Kagome slowly shook off the drug.

"I'll call you whatever I want to, dollface. Besides I don't think you're in a position to make demands." Dark Ace teased, his sharp eyes observing the pretty young woman as she grew even more frustrated.

"Wh... Get this drug outta me." She commanded. God, she felt so dizzy she was going to puke. Dark Ace's grin widened.

"No can do, darling. It's got to go away on its own." He stated casually, hoping to rile up the woman.

"Ssstop callin' me cutesy nicknames."

"So precious, you sound drunk." Dark Ace said mockingly. Kagome growled.

"M'not precious!" She snapped, crossing her arms.

"If you're gonna keep on complaining, I might as well gag you before taking you up to see Master Cyclonis. Not that I would mind."

Kagome's face flushed when she finally understood the implication and huffed. "Pervert."

"Guys, have you seen Kagome?" Aerrow casually walked into the Condor's bridge, glancing about in hopes of finding the young woman. She wasn't there.

"No, why?" Piper questioned,. The others all shook their heads with her.

"She's gone, I can't find her anywhere." Aerrow slowly felt panic build up inside of him as the others all grew worried. Surely she wouldn't have left just like that, she wasn't that kind of person. At least, that's what the others hoped. She didn't seem like it, at least. Radarr screeched, peeking under small crevasses to try and find the tenshi even if it was impossible for her to be hidden like that.

"What? How?" Finn spoke up.

"I-I dunno! I woke up and she was just gone! And she didn't wander off, that's for sure."

"Hold on a second." Junko raised a thick finger. "How did you find out she was gone just as you woke up?"

"That's..." Aerrow trailed off. Piper slowly allowed a smug smirk to spread across her face.

"Aerrow, do you have something to tell us?" She teased, crossing her arms as she looked the leader in the eye. He looked away.

"It's nothing like that! We just stayed up talking on the edge of the terra because we couldn't sleep." Aerrow paused for a second before changing up the last part. "Well, _I_ couldn't sleep. And I may or may not have fallen asleep outside and I can't remember what happened after that." Aerrow shook his head. "But the main point is she's disappeared and there's no trace of where she's gone."

"I have a bad feeling about this. What if she was taken? She wouldn't wander off like that. Especially in the middle of the night." Finn declared, making the worry in the room elevate as their eyes all darted to him.

"She's doomed." Stork mumbled glumly.

"Stork! That isn't helping!" Aerrow cried out.

"Well if she's been taken by Cyclonians or Raptors or, even worse, adapted sky beasts, she's doomed." Stork shrugged, looking around at the others, knowing they all knew he was partially right.

"Stop it!" Aerrow growled. Piper bit her lip in thought.

"Aerrow, what if he's right?" She tried to reason calmly. "What if Kagome has been taken by someone? This terra isn't exactly the safest place if you're sleeping outside."

"Stop. I really... don't want to think about it." Aerrow's face swarmed with guilt. He ran a hand through his hair. "It's my fault. If she was taken, it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Aerrow."

"It is. I was the one who went outside, she followed me. I was the one who fell asleep outside, too." Aerrow sighed, rubbing her forehead. "The only thing we can do is try to find her. Somehow."

"Just don't blame yourself. She followed you herself." Piper reassured, resting a hand on his shoulder. She could see him tormenting himself inside. "She's a kind person, she wouldn't have left you outside on your own and she isn't exactly strong enough to carry you back inside. But just remember, it isn't your fault."

"Yeah..." Aerrow trailed off, frowning.


	9. Chapter 9

Summary: The royal family of Terra Tenshi tend to keep their secrets. Even more so hiding away their treasures behind the walls of the castle. Yet when the king's most valued treasure reaches her peak, it's time to marry her off; yet this isn't what she wants. So she runs away.

Pairing: AerrowXKagome

* * *

The rough grip on Kagome's legs started to bruise the delicate skin, the young woman letting out noises of protest as Dark Ace's shoulder dug into her stomach.

It wasn't long before some talons ventured into the deeper part of the prison below Master Cyclonis's palace to tell the Dark Ace that Master Cyclonis was finally ready to question the tenshi and he had no qualms about using brute force to drag her out and all the way to her throne room. She had tried to run off a few times and Dark Ace finally had enough, hauling her over his shoulder as she kicked and screamed. Soon enough, everyone within the throne room could hear them coming and the door burst open, the young woman being dumped on the floor. The powerful aura Cyclonis exuded made Kagome lose all thoughts about trying to leave at that present moment, fear welling up deep inside.

"Ah, so this is the tenshi I've been hearing about. Where did you find her?" The low voice of the young leader questioned, eyes darting to her most trusted talon.

"Snuggled up on an uncharted terra with Aerrow." Dark Ace smirked.

"Aw, did we interrupt you little date?" Cyclonis asked mockingly. The other young woman groaned.

"It wasn't a date!" Kagome's face flushed slightly.

"Of course it wasn't." Cyclonis didn't sound convinced. "Give us a name. And don't lie to me, I will know." Her voice turned sinister. Kagome shivered.

"... it's Kagome."

"I must know, out of all tenshi in existence, you're the first one to be seen off Terra Tenshi. Not do a good enough job of hiding? How long have you been leaving your terra now?"

"I don't know, maybe they used chroma crystals because I know that out of everyone on Terra Tenshi, I'm the only one who's been kept inside our barrier. I've never left my terra until now." Kagome answered honestly.

"How come?"

"My father is overprotective of me. Never wanted me to end up in this sort of situation." Kagome rolled her eyes, folding her arms. "There's no way you're gonna find my terra, though. Even if you have me, it won't change anything."

"Oh? We'll see about that. Take her away, Dark Ace, keep an eye on her. And clip her wings for now." Cyclonis waved her hand in dismissal. "That's all I wanted to know for now."

"Wah, hey!" Kagome exclaimed as she was shoved forward, her hands held behind her. The Dark Ace ignored her complaints before using a black rope to bind her wings down. Kagome hissed as her wings started to burn. "Get your hands off them! It hurts!" The man continued until her wings were held together tightly. He observed the black coloured patches that took the place of some of her pure white feathers with fascination. Of course he had heard that their wings could change colour when touched by a corrupted being, he just never knew what it would look like.

"Does it?"

"Huh?"

"Does it hurt when I do... this?" Dark Ace pressed a finger to a white patch, the young woman letting out a yell of pain as the area of white turned black.

"Yes, you jerk!" Kagome cried out, tears in her eyes. Dark Ace removed his finger, chuckling. He grabbed her arm roughly and stalked off, pulling the young woman along with him to throw her back into her cell. He wasn't very happy at the fact that he was the one watching her but it did make some sense considering that the Storm Hawks could infiltrate Cyclonia and try to take her back. Kagome yelped as she was thrown past the bars, falling onto her side, the door slamming shut. Dark Ace crossed his arm and stood by her cell. Kagome glared directly at him for a long time until it softened as she felt something nostalgic niggle at the back of her head, the Dark Ace's features becoming more and more familiar. She tilted her head, still staring the Dark Ace down and it wasn't long before he noticed. He narrowed his eyes at the petite female.

"What?" He questioned coldly, observing as Kagome shifted onto her knees and crawled closer to the bars caging her in. She looked into his eyes, narrowing her own which caused the talon commander to feel uncomfortable. He went to speak but was cut off when Kagome murmured quietly. He raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"You look familiar." Kagome repeated plainly, scanning his face still.

"So?"

"Where have I seen you before?" Kagome pressed again.

"Silly girl, how could you have seen me if all you've ever been is on your terra?" Dark Ace growled, watching Kagome's eyes widen as she processed what he said.

"Silly... girl..." She mumbled.

 _"Silly girl, you need to be more careful." A teenage boy reprimanded, crouching down to a lower level to talk with a younger Kagome. "You could get hurt if you slide down the banister like that, what would have happened if I wasn't here?"_

 _"Sorry Acey, I won' do it again."_

"You were there." Kagome's eyes widened as she sat back on her heels in shock. The man before her looked confused. "When I was little. God, I thought Aerrow looked familiar. All those years ago, the squadron that came to Terra Tenshi seeking help was the old Storm Hawks, wasn't it? That squadron was the Storm Hakws. He's the splitting image of Lightning." It took the man a second.

"You were that little girl. The princess." Recognition swarmed across Dark Ace's face. He silently noted to tell Master Cyclonis, knowing that she would use it to her advantage. "The Condor broke down and in that moment of need, we were somehow guided to Terra Tenshi."

"How old was he?" Kagome looked at him blankly.

"What?"

"How old was he?"

"How old was who?"

"Aerrow!" Kagome exclaimed, biting her lip in fear of the answer. "When he... when he lost his parents to you."

Dark Ace kept his mouth shut, watching the frustration and worry grow on her face. And yet he wasn't enjoying it. He was finally allowing his guilt to catch up with him after so many years, the pride he once felt at being the cause of the downfall of the original Storm Hawks now leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Tell me, Dark Ace! Just tell me!" Kagome demanded, gritting her teeth.

"... five." Dark Ace looked away. "He was five years old."

"You really did that to... to a five year old. God," Kagome covered her mouth, "that's sickening. You're sick."

"You asked. And I'm stuck with watching over you so deal with it."

Kagome shut her eyes, trying to stop her eyes from tearing up. Refusing to look up at this... this murderer, Kagome allowed herself to gaze at the floor in worry for the sky knight. The death of his parents is something he's been harbouring for fourteen years, fourteen whole years himself. She breathed heavily, getting more and more worked up the more she thought about it. She knew his parents were killed, but to know that he was so young made it much worse. If they ever found her and got her out of Cyclonia, the first thing she was going to do is hold him again and make sure he never had to deal with inner turmoil like that alone ever again.


End file.
